9/25/17 - Pics of the Week

Elder Nielsen and his district at the Lima Temple

"I will never take the temple for granted." - Elder Nielsen

Elder Nielsen and fellow missionary

Lima Temple

Lima Temple

Lunch

9/25/17 - Isn't It So Amazing?!?!

This week was so great!! We went to the temple for the first time in a year.  Wow I am never going to take the temple for granted again. There is just something incredible about the feeling inside. I didn't want to leave, I felt the Spirit and knew the church is just so true. Isn't it so amazing?!?! 

We had a ward activity for references and President Stauffer came and put it on. I look up to this man like none other. He is my inspiration - he's so kind and cheerful and so animated and powerful and he's only 48 and a Mission President. I did a baptismal interview and he needed to talk to one of the counselors of president or President Stauffer himself. He was leaving and he asked me how it went and I told him and he said  "I've got 20 minutes, find me a room and call him vamos!!!!" We need to be more animated in this work, more alive - it's true and its incredible!!!! You all need to give references to the missionaries. The trick is to pray and ask who would benefit form this gospel, then without fear write their name down. 

It's insane to think how much I'm changing and how far I've come. I'm getting frustrated with my Spanish, but patience is so important. I love the scriptures so much. They are so true and they really are inspired from God. We need to read them every week -it s so important. 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

9/18/17 - Pics of the Week

Two Elders and a puppy

Ahhh so cute! Elder Nielsen and a new friend.

Elder Nielsen and fellow missionaries doing service - putting plastic on their ward mission leader's leaky roof.

Cleaning the beach

Working hard cleaning the beach

Beach pic

The missionaries cleaning the beach - dead wildlife - "so sad"

The symbol for "baptism"

The missionaries in their Mormon Helping Hands vests

Missionaries on the bus going about doing good

Maria was baptized!

Elder Nielsen and his companion with Maria

9/18/17 - Put Your All Into It

THIS WEEK WAS SOMETHING MAN!!! One of the best weeks of my mission, but I feel like I say that legit every week hahaha. So we started out by having a visit from ELDER OAKS OF THE 12. Wow it was incredible.  I learned so much and the way he talked, I want to talk like that, with the spirit and with power and authority but with such a love and faith. I think Alma talked like that - I cant wait to meet him too. We learned so much. He came with Bishop Causee and Elder Robbins and Elder Montoya. They are all 70's and it was incredible. It was held in Molina, where the temple is, and it's the richest part of Lima. It's legit Los Angeles -  Range Rovers and Mercedes and I even saw a Porsche 911!

We baptized Maria and it was really hard but so good. She backed out like 3 times. We had one of the best lessons I've ever had in my entire mission with her and Camilo, who was baptized not 2 weeks ago. it was incredible. I felt the spirit so strongly and it was just testimonies and a ton a ton of scriptures. The Book of Mormon is so true and it changes lives. 

We cleaned the beach and it was sooo weird to be on a beach.  There were a lot of dead animals which is sad but it was soooo fun to be out and doing service. Speaking of service we helped put plastic on the roof of our ward mission leader because his house leaks and he doesn't have money to fix it. It was so great. I love to help people. The trick with the church and life is you just gotta put your all into it and when you lose yourself your happy. I love this mission so much. I love being a missionary. 

Finally, it's avocado and watermelon season again. 5 kilo watermelon for 5 soles... ahhh never change Peru. 

Love,

Elder Nielsen

9/11/17 - Pics of the Week

A huge avocado!

Lunch with Camilo and the family Fernandez

"They don't have any chairs. I love them so much."

9/11/17 - I'm Over the Moon Excited!

This week was really good. We confirmed Camilo and it was fantastic. The family are refuges from Venezuela,  a country that is falling into a Cuba kinda state and it's horrible. They are so incredible.  I just love them so much.

Elder Oaks is coming to our mission and I'm over the moon excited!!! We are so lucky to have so many Apostles and Prophets and Seventies visit our mission.  That is one of the huge huge pluses about being in Lima. Since our mission has the airport in it it's all chill. They just land and they're here.  I just love how our church is true! It just makes me happy. I can feel the Spirit every time someone reads the Book or Mormon and I know it's true. 

We went shopping and bought a huge avocado. It's the size of a Spanish Book or Mormon which is bigger than one in  ingles - it's huge!!! I'll send a picture of it. Gotta love Peru. We had lunch today with family Fernandez and Camilo. They don't have chairs or anything but we made lunch and ate it  - they are great. The people are what make the church just so great here. We are so lucky to have the gospel. The church is true, God loves you and keep reading the Book of Mormon! It's very important!!

Love,

Elder Nielsen

9/4/17 - Pictures of the Week

Camilo's baptism with Elder Nielsen and his companion

Camilo's baptism day!

Elder Nielsen and a fellow missionary

Elder Nielsen and another missionary

9/4/17 - It Changed My Life

THIS WEEK WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elder Gonzales of the Seventy came and it changed my life. The way he used the scriptures makes my desire to learn them even stronger. I want to be able to whip out a scripture that testifies of what I'm saying perfectly like he can and I'm so so so grateful for the privilege I have to have the truth in my life. He shared how we can teach better, contact better, invite better, do everything better and his wife is fantastic too. I want to be more like him one day and the spirit testified that what he was saying is true!!!

We baptized Camilo and it was sooo great. The Bishop´turned the water off so it wasn't even mid-thigh to me and Camilo because he is almost as tall as I am. He legit had to lay down to get under the water, but it was sooo great. I love him man, there is just something about him that is incredible. He is from Colombia and is pretty much an orphan. He worked and studied and has his degree and speaks Spanish, French and German and a little English and is 26 years old. He was being extorted though meaning that he would have to pay every month or they would come after him  and he stopped paying so they came looking for him to kill him. He fled the country to Ecuador and ran into a member family who are refugees from Venezuela. They ended up in my ward and they are just so fantastic. They call him son and their kids call him brother and they are just one big happy family. I love this work and them. 

Time is flying and I'm just really grateful for this mission and the privilege I have to share this gospel with them. It's just so true and real and it changes lives for eternity!!!!! Elder Gonzales ended his training with a testimony about the atonement and reading some scriptures. He read in Doctrine and Covenants 19:15 -19. It reads "Therefore I command you to repent - repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore - how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit - and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink - Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. 

We have NO idea how hard it was. We can't even imagine it. As he read that he burst into tears and the Spirit testified that it's true. It's all true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and Jesus is the Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth and Glory to the Lamb. 

Love,

Elder Nielsen